Molded container having discharge spout



Sept. 5, 1967 w s5 3,339,812

MOLDED CONTAINER HAVING DISCHARGE SPOUT Original Filed Oct. 29, 1963United States Patent 7. 3,339,812 MOLDED CONTAINSER EAVING DISCHARGEWilliam E. Meissner, Devon, Pa., assignor to FMC Corporation,Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Original application Oct.29, 1963, Ser. No. 319,717, now Patent No. 3,266,658, dated Aug. 16,1966. Divided and this application Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,344

-- 1 Claim. (Cl. 222566) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A molded plasticcontainer of seamless, unbroken and unitary construction havingre-entrant wall portions which mate with corresponding re-entrantportions formed within a spout for mechanically attaching the latter tothe container without damaging its unbroken construction.

This application is a division of myapplication Ser. No. 319,717 filedOct. 29, 1963, now United States (Patent 3,266,658.

'The present invention relates to fluid-tight molded containers havingattached preformed discharge spouts.

It is conventional in the art to mold "containers and subsequentlyattachspouts thereto by adhesives, separate fasteners, etc. The mode ofattaching such preformed spouts usually demands greater care andaccuracy during the molding operation, entailsadded operations andmaterial costs and often may involve some sacrifice in the structuraland fluid-tight integrity of the container itself. Accordingly, aprimary object of this invention is to provide improved moldedcontainers having attached preformed discharge spouts.

Another object is to provide improved molded containers having preformedspouts which are attached thereto without the use of adhesives orseparate fasteners.

Still another object is the provision of molded containers of seamlessand unbroken construction having preformed spouts attached theretowithout any sacrifice in the container strength or fluid-tightcharacteristics.

Still further objects will appear from the following description.

The container of the present invention includes a molded plastic bodywhich is of seamleses, unbroken and unitary construction and a preformedspout which is mechanically interlocked with the container body. Moreparticularly, the container body and spout are both formed with matingre-entrant or undercut portions which cooperate to lock such body andspout snugly together. The spout does not penetrate the wall of thecontainer body so that there is no reduction in the strength of the bodynor any increased risk of leakage in the area of spout attachment.

Aside from having re-entrant portions for securing an interlock with thecontainer body the spout may have a discharge passage of any desiredsize and may be of any configuration. For example the spout may beformed with external serrations or threads for retaining a cap, tube orperhaps a baby feeding nipple or the like.

The provision of a spout cap is not essential but is desired forpreventing foreign matter from entering the spout discharge passage andto protect the contents after the container has been opened. Preferablya cap is employed, such cap having a pin which projects into the spoutdischarge passage. Normally such cap is threaded onto the spout only toretain the same in place and with its pin spaced from that portion ofthe container body covering the entrance end of the spout dischargepassage. When the cap is advanced further onto the spout, its pin willpuncture the container body and thus permit easy removal of thecontainer contents. In the absence of such 3,339,812 Patented Sept. 5,1967 specific cap a sharp instrument, similar to a pin, may be 3inserted through the spout discharge opening to effect rupture of thecontainer body.

' The container of the present invention is formed as more fullydescribed in my copending application Ser. No. 374,481 filed June 11,1964, now abandoned, such application being a continuation of myabove-noted application Ser. No. 319,717. Briefly, the container of thepresent invention is formed by expanding a gob, parison or closed tubeof plastic or molten film-forming material as a seamless envelopeagainst the internal walls of a desirably shaped mold and intoengagement with a preformed spout which is supported within such mold,and thereafter causing the expanding envelope of film-forming material-to set. The preformed spout which is employed must be shaped withundercut or re-entrant por- 7 tions with which the film-forming materialinterlocks as operation it flows into and about the undercut portions ofthe preformed spout without being ruptured or punctured. As a result, inthe finished container the portion of the Wall thereof to which thepreformed spout is attached retains its continuous, unbroken andfluid-tight characteristics.

The preformed spouts which are attached to the containers may be formedof metal, plastics or any other suitable materials which are capable ofwithstanding the conditions encountered during the molding operation.

The container of the present invention may be made from a wide varietyof materials which may be rendered plastic or in a flowable condition.Preferred types include the synthetic linear polymers of thermoplasticcharacter and the elastomeric types. Examples include vinyl resins, suchas polyvinyl acetate, copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate,copolymers of acrylonitrile and vinyl acetate, polyacrylonitrile andcopolymers of acrylonitrile with vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate,methacrylonitrile, and sco forth, polyethylene, linear superpolymers ofthe polyester of nylon (polyamide) type, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinylalcohols, polyvinyl ethers; elastomeric types may include neoprene,polymers of chloroprene, copolymers of butadiene with styrene oracrylonitrile, polyisobutylene, and so forth. It is to be understoodthat the mentioning of these particular materials is not intended tolimit the invention thereto but merely to illustrate the wide variety offilm-forming materials that can be used in carrying out the invention.Of course, the selection of any particular material depends upon thecharacter of the material which is to be packaged in the finishedcontainer. Thus, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl acetals and polyvinylalcohols and neoprene, especially the latter two types, are highlyadvantageous when packaging oils, especially of the hydrocarbon type.Polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, related copolymers of these twomonomers, and polyethylene are, on the other hand, particularly adaptedfor packaging of aqueous liquids.

The single figure of the drawing is a side view of the container of thepresent invention, with a portion thereof being shown in section.

With reference to the drawing, the container of the present inventionincludes a body 11, a preformed spout 13 and a cap 15 threaded onto thespout 13. The body 11 is formed of thermoplastic material and is ofseamless, unitary, unbroken or closed construction. This body includes aportion 17 which projects outwardly from the remainder of such body andextends into and is interlocked with a re-entrant or undercut portion 19formed in the spout 13.

As heretofore mentioned, the container body 11 is formed by expanding agob of plastic or molten filmforming material into and against there-entrant or undercut portion 19 of the spout 13 and then set in itsexpanded position. As a result, the projecting portion 17 of thecontainer body 11 conforms with the re-entrant or undercut portions 19of the spout 13 and is snugly retained in its interlocked position. Itwill be noted that the spot 13 does not penetrate the container body 11and that the body 11 does not suffer any reduction in wall thickness inthe area of spout attachment. Thus, in the finished container thecontainer body remains completely closed and retains its desiredunbroken and fluid-tight characteristics.

Access to the container body is achieved by puncturing the portion 17 ofthe container body which is adjacent to the entrance end of the spoutdischarge passage 21. In the preferred construction illustrated, this isfacilitated by a pin 23, having pointed ends 25, and which projects fromthe underside of the cap 15 and into the spout discharge passage 21.Normally, and as illustrated in the drawing, the pointed ends 25 of thecap pin 23 are located above the portion 17 of the container body 11.However, when the cap 15 is advanced further onto the spout 13 thepointed ends 25 of the cap pin 23 will puncture the portion 17 of thecontainer body and thus permits the container contents to be removedthrough the spout.

It is to be understood that changes and variations may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in theappended claim.

I claim:

A molded container formed of organic plastic material having acompletely closed body of seamless, unbroken, unitary construction,including a top wall having a portion thereof spaced above the mainportion thereof and connected thereto by re-entrant wall portions, allportions of said container body being of substantially uniform wallthickness, and a spout formed with reentrant portions adjacent to theentrance end of the spout discharge passage, said entrance end of thespout discharge passage being located abuttingly adjacent to said raisedportion of the container top wall, with the re-entrant portions on thespout being matingly interlocked with the corresponding re-entrant wallportions on the container body, whereby the spout is attached to thecontainer body without reducing its wall thickness and without damagingits unbroken, seamless and unitary construction and said raised wallportion covers the entrance end of the spout discharge passage.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,342,372 2/ 1944 Scherer 2225412,596,415 5/1952 Kochner 222541 2,663,463 12/1953 Benbury et a1. 222-2152,771,218 11/1956 Henderson 222-83 3,128,913 4/1964 Spechter 222566 X3,187,966 6/1965 Klygis 222-541 3,204,835 9/ 1965 Michel 222-541 FOREIGNPATENTS 221,053 4/ 1959 Australia. 1,284,621 1/1961 France.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

